The Film Queen Is Cold and Ruthless, Only Sends Money - Chapter 51

“Girlfriend?” Su Yun repeated the words.

The baseball bat she had been gripping tightly just moments ago slipped from her hand and clattered loudly against the tiled floor, the sound sharp and clear in the quiet room.

Silently, Su Yun mentally reviewed all the Chinese she had learned since elementary school.

She recognized each of these three characters and understood their meaning.

But coming from the person in front of her, especially at this particular moment, it didn’t seem as simple as just “girlfriend.”

Could there be some homophone she wasn’t thinking of right now?!

The shock and disbelief in her eyes were unmistakable, and Jiang Zhi naturally picked up on it.

Jiang Zhi’s voice was gentle, unhurried as she asked, “Shall we turn on the lights first? Then I can explain properly?”

When she had arrived earlier, she had been too focused on surveying the room to touch anything carelessly.

And when Su Yun returned, her attention had been entirely on the unexpected presence in her home.

As a result, the two of them had been talking in complete darkness, almost as if they were in some kind of standoff.

“…Alright.” Su Yun nodded.

Glancing at the baseball bat on the floor, she picked it up and walked over to the light switch.

The moment the lights flickered on, both of them accustomed to the dark instinctively squinted, waiting a few seconds before fully opening their eyes to take in the details they had missed earlier.

Su Yun’s gaze naturally returned to the woman sitting on the sofa.

She was indeed wearing pajamas, the collar slightly loose, revealing fair collarbones with a faint red mark on the left side. Her lashes were lowered slightly, and her presence in the modestly sized living room seemed to elevate the entire space even the items around her suddenly looked twice as expensive.

She really didn’t seem like a burglar.

If not here to steal, then for something else?

Perhaps it was Jiang Zhi’s calm demeanor that eased the tension in Su Yun’s chest, allowing her thoughts to wander.

She had confidence in herself both in personality and appearance and knew she had no shortage of admirers.

So… could this woman in front of her actually be a secret admirer?

Someone who knew her name, went out of her way to find out where she lived, and came here to confess?

Su Yun coughed lightly that was still terrifying!

But instead of speculating endlessly, it was better to just ask directly.

After turning on the lights, she sat back down in her previous spot and asked Jiang Zhi, “Maybe you could explain a little more clearly? How did we meet, and how did I become your girlfriend?”

Her tone wasn’t one of genuine belief in Jiang Zhi’s earlier words, she still thought the other woman was joking.

So now, she matched that playful tone, hoping for a proper answer so she could wrap this up and get some sleep.

Jiang Zhi looked at Su Yun, then at the glass of water on the table.

The light overhead refracted through the clear glass, casting faint rainbow hues near the bottom.

It was all a little too vivid…

Combined with the sting in her eyes when the lights had first turned on, Jiang Zhi pinched her arm, it hurt.

All signs pointed to one undeniable fact: this wasn’t a dream.

Jiang Zhi: “…”

Only now realizing the gravity of the situation, she found herself at a rare loss.

Su Yun, who had been waiting for an answer beside her: “…Why did you just pinch yourself?”

Even if you couldn’t make up how you fell in love, there’s no need to pinch yourself, right?

Jiang Zhi calmly replied, “Just confirming some things.”

She had originally intended to continue teasing Su Yun, but after realizing this fact, she felt she needed to be more careful with her subsequent answers.

Jiang Zhi glanced again at the baseball bat in Su Yun’s hand she really didn’t want to end up in a police station.

And so,

What followed was a detailed account of how she and the person across from her had fallen in love.

From the beginning, when they got their marriage certificate and didn’t like each other, to gradually becoming familiar and understanding one another, then the confession, their first kiss.

Jiang Zhi told the truth: “When I came here, we were lying in bed together, saying goodnight to each other.”

As the words fell, Su Yun froze completely in place.

The sheer volume of information was too much for her to process!

And why did she have to share details like the confession and the kiss?!

Although Su Yun had a wide range of interests and enjoyed steamy romance, she couldn’t handle discussing such things with a stranger!

After more than ten minutes, Su Yun wiped her face and repeated Jiang Zhi’s earlier words: “So you’re saying you might be from another parallel world, where we’re already married and have a great relationship?”

Only then did she realize that when explaining her identity earlier, the other woman had actually held back.

Not just a girlfriend, she was her wife!

After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Zhi nodded. “Yes.”

To add credibility to her words, she added a few more details: “Your favorite thing is probably winning the lottery. You have a tiny mole on the left side of your waist. Your dream job at one point was making pancakes…”

Su Yun, whose secrets had all been exposed: “…”

How did she know all these things?!

She was sure she’d never told anyone about the pancake-making dream!

And the tiny mole on her left waist, she hadn’t even noticed it herself until Jiang Zhi mentioned it, prompting her to check immediately.

The only consolation was that they were the only two people in the room, so at least no one else would hear this.

Jiang Zhi watched as the wariness in Su Yun’s eyes slowly faded and decided to deliver the final blow.

She pointed to the faint red mark on her collarbone. “This… was from you kissing me before I came here.”

Before she could finish, Su Yun’s hand clamped over her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words. The baseball bat, once held defensively, had long been discarded somewhere.

Su Yun’s ears were now completely red. “I believe you now!”

That last part really didn’t need to be said!

Jiang Zhi’s long lashes fluttered slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. This version of Su Yun really was so easily flustered.

–

Even though Su Yun claimed she believed Jiang Zhi’s story, it still took her some time to fully accept it.

She had been prepared for a criminal confrontation, only for the situation to suddenly shift into the realm of the fantastical.

But this did answer all her questions.

How the other woman had entered her home, how she knew her name…

Once she had sorted through the details, Su Yun asked the person in front of her, “Speaking of which… I don’t think I’ve actually heard your name yet?”

“Jiang Zhi.”

Su Yun didn’t need an explanation she immediately matched the name to the person in her mind.

At the same time, another thought surfaced in her mind, the novel her colleague had recommended earlier. She remembered the protagonist’s name was also Jiang Zhi.

Everything suddenly made sense. Wasn’t this the protagonist stepping right out of the book?!

As an avid reader of novels, Su Yun quickly recognized the trope, though she wasn’t entirely sure why she was the one dating the protagonist!

Su Yun asked without much hope, “So right now, you don’t have anything with you, do you?”

Whether it was identification or communication devices, she hadn’t seen any of it on Jiang Zhi.

Jiang Zhi shook her head and replied softly, “You’re the only one I know.”

“You’re the only one I know” paired with Jiang Zhi’s gentle voice, somehow made Su Yun feel a sense of being relied upon.

This reliance, mixed with natural trust and a hint of ambiguity, made Su Yun’s already flushed ears and cheeks burn even hotter.

Su Yun: “Do you want to rest?”

She glanced at the clock on the table, it was already five.

It was summer, and dawn came early. Looking out the window, she could see the faintest glimmer of light on the distant horizon. It was almost daybreak.

No matter what, Su Yun felt she needed to sleep now!

If she didn’t, she might worry about dropping dead from exhaustion.

Jiang Zhi also noticed the dark circles under Su Yun’s eyes. Considering the time Su Yun had returned, she guessed she had been working overtime.

Jiang Zhi nodded. “You should rest too.”

With that answered, Su Yun faced another problem, there was only one bedroom.

She couldn’t just kick Jiang Zhi out, and for some reason, she felt an inexplicable familiarity with her.

The mere thought of Jiang Zhi being wronged twisted her heart uncomfortably.

As she pondered how to arrange things, Jiang Zhi spoke up, “Would it be alright if I borrowed your sofa tonight?”

Jiang Zhi wasn’t sure if she’d return to the book after sleeping.

But whether Su Yun recognized her or not, she wanted her to rest well.

Su Yun: “…Let me get you a blanket.”

She tacitly agreed to Jiang Zhi’s suggestion.

But when she stepped out of the bedroom with the blanket, she paused at the doorway, taking in the sight before her.

The sofa wasn’t long usually just a spot for a quick nap and with someone lying on it, it looked even more cramped. A simple turn would likely send them tumbling to the floor.

Sleeping there for a few hours would undoubtedly leave one sore and stiff.

And with Jiang Zhi’s tall frame, she looked almost pitifully out of place on it.

Su Yun’s hand, holding out the blanket, froze mid-air.

Noticing her hesitation, Jiang Zhi asked, “Su Yun?”

A few seconds of silence passed.

Finally, Su Yun decided to follow her instincts. “Maybe… you should just come back to the bedroom with me.”

Her bed was big enough for two.

Jiang Zhi hadn’t expected Su Yun to say this after their relationship had been laid bare.

But regardless, Jiang Zhi wouldn’t refuse.

“Alright.”

–

Only when they were lying side by side did Su Yun realize how impulsive her suggestion had been.

The unfamiliar yet pleasant scent beside her was different from usual, and with the slightest movement, her hand brushed against the smooth fabric of Jiang Zhi’s pajamas.

Trying to distract herself, Su Yun asked, “Do you know how to go back?”

She still couldn’t shake the feeling that none of this was real.

Jiang Zhi replied, “I don’t know. Perhaps when the time comes, we’ll naturally find our way back.”

“That time” yet another concept impossible to measure objectively.

Su Yun said, “The usual trope in novels is that once we fall in love, we’ll find a way back.”

She was quite familiar with this, having read a few such stories before.

The protagonists always yearn to return but can’t, only to find their way back once they’ve truly fallen in love only to be forced to part.

Instead of responding directly, Jiang Zhi remarked, “You didn’t read any novels before bed tonight.”

Su Yun answered naturally, “I usually read when work isn’t too busy. Tonight, I got back too late.”

Only then did she realize, how did Jiang Zhi know about this habit of hers?

But she didn’t need Jiang Zhi to explain. The answer came to her on its own.

From Jiang Zhi’s perspective, they were already married, genuine partners. Of course, she would know about her bedtime routines.

So, the earlier speculation didn’t hold.

Unwilling to let it go, Su Yun pressed, “Is there any chance you might have mistaken me for someone else?”

If she were to investigate, she’d find there were probably hundreds, if not thousands, of people named Su Yun elsewhere.

As she asked, the two lay facing each other.

The bed wasn’t large, with only a thin blanket between them. Each could feel the other’s breath.

Thus, Su Yun could clearly see Jiang Zhi shake her head gently.

Jiang Zhi’s gaze was serene, her voice soft yet firm. “No mistake. Even if you don’t remember now, I know it’s you.”

Su Yun’s heartbeat suddenly skipped a beat.

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